JETS: Here's why I like Kellen Clemens' attitude
The guy could very easily have sulked when the Jets drafted Mark Sanchez. Or demanded a trade. Or at least bitched publicly about having the rug pulled out from under him a second straight year.
Clemens did neither.
The quote that keeps coming back:
"For me, it comes down to a simple choice. I can get mad or frustrated or whatever, or I can get better. I am choosing to get better. I am going to keep working. The beautiful thing about my approach (is that it) has been the same since Dec. 29 when the season ended. I laid out my approach, and my plan about how I am going to get better, and that carried me through the first minicamp, through OTAs. It’s short-term and it’s long-term. So it doesn’t matter much if it’s Brett Ratliff or Mark Sanchez, the beautiful thing when you are competing with yourself (is) it doesn’t matter who the other guy is. There is all that other stuff, but it’s not going to help me get better. It’s not going to help me be a major contributor on a team whose goal is to be world champions at the end of the year so it’s out-of-mind. I don’t worry about it."
Not sure how it will all play out for Clemens, but that, my friends, is a great attitude.
... ok, off to watch Hakeem Nicks, Ramses Barden, Clint Sintim and the rest of the Jints' rookies work out.
Be back in a bit.
(UPDATE: I'm going to leave this post near the top of the blog to make it easier if any Jets' fans want to continue their discussion. JayM made a valid point about the number of posts making it difficult to keep a discussion going, so hopefully this will address that issue. Let's see what happens. And don't worry about feeling as if you're cheating on Boland. He's fine with it. Besides, he knows I'm a page views hound.)
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Comments (12)
Hi Bob,
Thanks for picking up for Erik until we get our new regular Jets Blogger.
Do you know what the latest Plaxico legal news? When can we expect to find out if he's going to be able to play in the NFL?
I think he can make a difference in the Jets offense. Kellen Clemens or Mark Sanchez, either would benefit from a receiving talent that can get open like Plax.
No problem, Big A. Glad to help.
Burress is due in Manhattan Criminal Court on June 15. That was the postponement date set on his brief March 31 appearance. The reason it was delayed was because prosecutors could not reach a plea agreement with Burress' attorney, Benjamin Brafman.
Negotiations on a plea deal continue, but so far, no resolution. The hangup is jail time; Burress wants to completely avoid it, but prosecutors are adamant that he serve some time. How much time seems to be the only remaining issue.
BOB :
welcome!
Those of us who have read you past reporting know that you are among the very best as a sportswriter and analyst.
We are fortunate indeed to have you stepping in for Erik, who did a great job bringing us the inside news.
Best of everything, and thank you.
Bob,
Thanks for the response! I'm not in the NY area, so this may all be old news to some, but it's hard to follow if you're out of area.
I believe I remember hearing that some athelete's have served their sentences (up to a few months?) after the season. Is that a possible scenario? Also, what do you think about possible NFL suspension?
Thanks again.
The Finn:
Thanks for the welcome ... and sorry about the creepy Favre photo, which did not meet with your approval. I like to play with these things, which are clearly not for everyone, but have been a hit around here for a while.
Big A:
Yes, there have been some athletes to serve their time after a season (the Giants' Ahmad Bradshaw had that arrangement the last two off-seasons), but it is rare. And being that Burress is such a high-profile case, I don't expect it. As for a possible NFL suspension ... well, it's possible. But I'm also told that commissioner Roger Goodell will not necessarily dole out a significant suspension in Burress' case, since he has already served a four-game (really five, including the playoff game) suspension by the Giants.
Kellen Clemens is a class act. It'll be interesting to see what happens if Clemens gets the starting nod and plays well this year, the final year of his contract.
Thanks, Bob. June will be here before you know it.
You can't give Chad Pennington enough credit for the approach he brought to both the way Quarterback competitions are handled and the way members of the Jets respond to competition. Could Pennington be the anti-Cutler or anti-Farve?
I give Clemens credit for taking the professional approach, but I do not understand why there is so much gushing over him that he should be the starter and why it was a mistake to draft Sanchez. The way I look at Clemens is that the last regime was begging him to win the starting job the last three summers and granted, there was the ridiculousness of the '4 way QB' battle of 06 and other ridiculous things, if he was so good, would they really have gone out and gotten Favre or traded up for Sanchez? I think not. I know PSL sales are an issue at play, but with this economy, they are not going to sell any way. My feeling on Clemens is that with this team, he will mainly be a backup and if this is his contract year, he may wind up being a journeyman.
OR
Maybe Mangini will sign him after the season so he can join Team Mediocrity, I mean the Browns and former teammates Ratliff, Coleman, Elam, Bowens, Poteat and Mosley.
I like KC, but I do not feel he will ever be a starting QB.
Darren,
I give Pennington credit too for his attitude and professionalism, but if he was such a top tier QB, why would Miami have come out publicly and said they want Henne to be the starter by 2010 and have drafted Pat White in the 2nd rd this year? From watching Miami play Baltimore in the Wild Card round, every time Pennington tried to throw outside the numbers and threw a wobbling pass, the cameras showed Parcells up in the box basically slamming down on the counter. He is a nice QB, but he has not put together back to back solid seasons and I believe he is a guy who you cannot go deep into the playoffs with because at some point, either in a Wild Card or Divisional Round when you play a Baltimore or Steeler defense, if you just dink and dunk, you play right into the hands of an elite D.
Clemens is a pro's pro, because of that he will have a very long career in this league even if he never wins a full time starting deal.
Bob, will the current labor deal expiring, will Clemens be unrestricted next year? It would suck if he had a good camp and decent year only to be able to walk with zero compensation.
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